right now, i'm obsessed with these things:
running
there is something about the discipline and endurance that is required for running that helps me get more centered and grounded. the routine of hitting the pavement, one step at a time, one foot in front of the next, over and over again, while keeping your mind and eyes fixed on a goal in the distance or on the runner in front that you're pacing yourself against, does something to the spirit - it reminds me that despite the grind, i don't have to have to let myself be worn down, that i have it in me to press on. that feeling of exhausting yourself only to discover you have the 'second wind' inside you is exhilarating.
climbing
i started climbing a month ago and while i am still extremely new to the sport and have only climbed indoors so far, i am absolutely hooked. there's something about the community of climbers that i find incredibly captivating. their enthusiasm and passion for life and for challenging themselves to surpass their limits, combined with their willingness to teach and share what they've learned, is something i find incredibly rare in other sports. i find among them a spirit of generosity - of self, of time. perhaps it is because when you climb, you're trusting your belayer with quite literally, your life. there is so much support, encouragement, and camaraderie among climbers versus more competitive sports, where trash-talking is often the status quo.
before i tried it, i used to see climbing as a purely physical sport - as it requires much strength to pull yourself up the rocks. now i realise how mentally challenging - and incredibly fun - it is as well. the challenge of figuring out how to complete a route, of identifying which holds will get you up the wall, of balancing your weight, and of trusting your holds is often more mental than it is physical.
french
i love words. i especially love words that carry significant meanings that no words in my native language can properly express. and i find many of those words in the french language - it is, after all, considered one of the most romantic languages. the accent, the pronunciations, the way the words are strung together, the way the direct translation of "i miss you" is actually "you are missing from me", the way people never say "nice to meet you", but rather, "enchantée", or "enchanted to meet you" - is so profound, so expressive, so absolutely beautiful.
i believe the language and words we use shape a lot of our lives, and how thoughtlessly or mindfully a person uses their words says a lot about them. i believe there is so much beauty to be felt in this life, and while words may never fully be able to capture all that beauty, it is possible to use words that come closer to doing so than others.
***
i am incredibly bad at the above things, despite the fact that they are my major obsessions at the moment, and not a day goes by that i don't at least think about them.
but i think about the things i love doing (and consider myself decently good at, like writing, baking, and driving), and remember that once upon a time, i was terribly bad at them too. the only reason i got good was because i stuck at them.
and so, even though i don't speak fluent french nor have i run a full marathon or started climbing by grades, i'm reminding myself to stick at it. because if right now i suck at these things, yet doing them gives me such incredible satisfaction and puts the silliest smiles on my faces, i can't image what the feeling will be like when i start getting good at them.
a friend shared this 9gag post with me which i find incredibly profound (thanks khairie!):
#yolo
here is something true: one day you will be dead.
here is something false: you only live once.
it takes about 7 years to master something.
if you live to be 88, after age 11, you have 11 opportunities to be good at something.
these are your lifetimes.
most people never let themselves die.
some are afraid of death.
"i'm only trained to do one thing, and if i'm not doing it... then what am i?"
some think they are already ghosts.
"i was good at basketball, but then i hurt my ankle. now i spend most of my time mentally simulating a reality where that didn't happen."
but you have many lives.
spend a life writing poems. spend another building things. spend a life looking for facts. "how?" and another looking for truth. "why?"
these are your lifetimes. use them.
so here's to the obsessions ahead. here's to starting again, at level 0 - beginner. here's to not being afraid to learn from others who are better than you. here's to rejecting the lie that old dogs can't learn new tricks and that talent trumps practice and skill. here's to the lifetimes ahead.
running
there is something about the discipline and endurance that is required for running that helps me get more centered and grounded. the routine of hitting the pavement, one step at a time, one foot in front of the next, over and over again, while keeping your mind and eyes fixed on a goal in the distance or on the runner in front that you're pacing yourself against, does something to the spirit - it reminds me that despite the grind, i don't have to have to let myself be worn down, that i have it in me to press on. that feeling of exhausting yourself only to discover you have the 'second wind' inside you is exhilarating.
climbing
i started climbing a month ago and while i am still extremely new to the sport and have only climbed indoors so far, i am absolutely hooked. there's something about the community of climbers that i find incredibly captivating. their enthusiasm and passion for life and for challenging themselves to surpass their limits, combined with their willingness to teach and share what they've learned, is something i find incredibly rare in other sports. i find among them a spirit of generosity - of self, of time. perhaps it is because when you climb, you're trusting your belayer with quite literally, your life. there is so much support, encouragement, and camaraderie among climbers versus more competitive sports, where trash-talking is often the status quo.
before i tried it, i used to see climbing as a purely physical sport - as it requires much strength to pull yourself up the rocks. now i realise how mentally challenging - and incredibly fun - it is as well. the challenge of figuring out how to complete a route, of identifying which holds will get you up the wall, of balancing your weight, and of trusting your holds is often more mental than it is physical.
french
i love words. i especially love words that carry significant meanings that no words in my native language can properly express. and i find many of those words in the french language - it is, after all, considered one of the most romantic languages. the accent, the pronunciations, the way the words are strung together, the way the direct translation of "i miss you" is actually "you are missing from me", the way people never say "nice to meet you", but rather, "enchantée", or "enchanted to meet you" - is so profound, so expressive, so absolutely beautiful.
i believe the language and words we use shape a lot of our lives, and how thoughtlessly or mindfully a person uses their words says a lot about them. i believe there is so much beauty to be felt in this life, and while words may never fully be able to capture all that beauty, it is possible to use words that come closer to doing so than others.
***
i am incredibly bad at the above things, despite the fact that they are my major obsessions at the moment, and not a day goes by that i don't at least think about them.
but i think about the things i love doing (and consider myself decently good at, like writing, baking, and driving), and remember that once upon a time, i was terribly bad at them too. the only reason i got good was because i stuck at them.
and so, even though i don't speak fluent french nor have i run a full marathon or started climbing by grades, i'm reminding myself to stick at it. because if right now i suck at these things, yet doing them gives me such incredible satisfaction and puts the silliest smiles on my faces, i can't image what the feeling will be like when i start getting good at them.
a friend shared this 9gag post with me which i find incredibly profound (thanks khairie!):
here is something true: one day you will be dead.
here is something false: you only live once.
it takes about 7 years to master something.
if you live to be 88, after age 11, you have 11 opportunities to be good at something.
these are your lifetimes.
most people never let themselves die.
some are afraid of death.
"i'm only trained to do one thing, and if i'm not doing it... then what am i?"
some think they are already ghosts.
"i was good at basketball, but then i hurt my ankle. now i spend most of my time mentally simulating a reality where that didn't happen."
but you have many lives.
spend a life writing poems. spend another building things. spend a life looking for facts. "how?" and another looking for truth. "why?"
these are your lifetimes. use them.
so here's to the obsessions ahead. here's to starting again, at level 0 - beginner. here's to not being afraid to learn from others who are better than you. here's to rejecting the lie that old dogs can't learn new tricks and that talent trumps practice and skill. here's to the lifetimes ahead.
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